


Unsteady

by summerprincess (notjustalittlegirl)



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Alex is Edward, Alternate Universe - Twilight Fusion, But they're still themselves lol if that makes sense, F/F, I know, Kelley is Bella, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22140403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notjustalittlegirl/pseuds/summerprincess
Summary: When Kelley O'Hara moves to Forks, Washington, to live with her older sister, she is using it as an opportunity to start a new life, far away from the party scene which consumed her life back home. She's expecting a quiet end of her junior year, but her plans are turned on their head when she meets Alex Morgan.There's something about Alex which fascinates Kelley, and as they grow closer, she realizes that the girl she's falling in love with might be more dangerous than she thought.(Even if you hate Twilight, please give this a shot. I promise I'm changing some stuff).
Relationships: Alex Morgan/Kelley O'Hara, Julie Johnston/Becky Sauerbrunn, Lindsey Horan/Emily Sonnett, Morgan Brian/Alyssa Naeher
Comments: 34
Kudos: 96





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Howl4me](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Howl4me/gifts).



> YES, this is a Twilight AU. NO, I will not be exactly following the books or movies (sorry, die hard Twilight fans. There's gonna be some changes), beginning with keeping Kelley Kelley, and not changing her into Bella. 
> 
> Kindly titled by my lovely girlfriend.

_Kelley scrambled backwards across the floor, clutching the sharp piece of glass in her trembling hand. The makeshift blade was slicing it open, but the adrenaline pounded through her veins, stopping her from feeling the full extent of the pain which should have been making her clutch her hand to her chest and scream in agony. She barely even felt her leg anymore, except when it dragged across the floor. She felt her back hit the wall- there was nowhere else she could go._

_She was completely trapped._

_Still, she held tightly to the glass. As if it would do anything to stop the monster, approaching her with red lips curled back over startlingly white teeth. They glistened, and Kelley wondered if she should just take the piece of glass and slice it across her throat, end herself before giving the monster a chance to end her._

_It would probably be faster._

_As if she could read her mind, the predator stalked forwards, slowly. She was bleeding so much that Kelley had no idea how the monster was keeping control over her natural instincts._

_"Say goodbye," she purred, and her voice was almost pretty. Not the growl that Kelley had expected from the hunter who was about to take her life. "Tell her goodbye, sweetheart. Scream for her, let her know how much this hurts."_

_Kelley closed her eyes, wishing that she was wrapped up tightly, safely, in the arms of the woman who had become her everything. But, even if it came to this end, she wasn't sure that she could bring herself to regret it._

* * *

"Do you have everything? Boarding pass? Cell phone? Toothbrush?"

Kelley rolled her eyes fondly at her mother's worrying, laughing softly and waving her charged cellphone at her mother to make sure that she knew that her daughter was completely prepared.

Well, as prepared as one could be to leave the place they'd lived their entire life to move to a small town in Washington to live with the sister they hadn't seen in almost five years. 

"Yes, Mom," she said. "I've got everything. Even my toothbrush."

Karen blinked back tears, then pulled her younger daughter into her arms and kissed her on both cheeks.

"Call me when you land, baby," she said. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I know, Mama," said Kelley, squeezing her mother a little tighter. "But, it's not forever. Just until you and John get settled. Then I'll be home." 

"I love you, Kell," said her mother, and she wiped at her eyes. Kelley returned the sentiment, trying not to cry herself. 

"Besides," she said, waving to her mother as she got in line to board her flight. "It'll be good for me to spend some time with Erin."

"You two take care of each other," said Karen, and Kelley blew her a goofy kiss, popping in her earbuds and queuing up her playlist. She knew that her mother was going to call Erin to check on Kelley, probably several times a day at first, and was also glad to have Kelley's eyes to report back on her cross-country older daughter. It was a long flight from Atlanta to Seattle, giving her plenty of time to think about what the fuck she was doing, to a soundtrack of Lizzo. 

She still couldn't quite believe it. She was moving from the place she'd known her entire life- sunny, quiet Peachtree City, Georgia, to middle-of-nowhere, rainy and dark Forks, Washington. To go live with her older sister, who had run off there to be a police officer, while her mother got settled in with her new husband. She was leaving all of her friends, her mom, her town, but she couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement- this was a chance for her to start over, to take a break from the party girl lifestyle she'd grown used to and re-focus herself.

And, as she had told her mother when she had first decided to leave, it would be nice to reconnect with her sister.

She must have drifted off to sleep, because the next thing she knew, a different song than the one she last remembered was blasting through her earbuds, there was a crick in her neck resulting from the awkwardness of sleeping in an airplane seat, and the captain was on the intercom, asking everyone to fasten their seatbelts and prepare themselves and their belongings for descent. Kelley's seatmate gave her a _look_ as she accidentally brushed against her while stretching, trying to get rid of the ache in her muscles.

"Sorry," she whispered as the plane touched down on the runway with a small jolt. She didn't hear if the woman answered her or not, because she was already craning her neck to see out the window, to get a first glimpse of her new home.

* * *

Erin had come to pick her up- thankfully, not in her police cruiser. Her older sister gave a bright smile, taking Kelley's bigger suitcase from her and dropping it in the trunk. The backpack sat in the back seat, and Kelley used Erin's rearview mirror to pull her hair up into a ponytail.

"Hey," said Kelley. "Thanks again, for agreeing to... to take me." 

"Of course," said Erin, pulling onto the highway and glaring at a car going several miles over the speed limit. Once again, Kelley was glad that they weren't in the cruiser, because the last thing she needed was for Erin to flip on her siren and pull the motherfucker over. "You're my little sister, Kell. I've missed you!"

Kelley grinned, ignoring Erin's chastising look as she leaned across and kissed her sister's cheek, catching a whiff of lavender.

"I've missed you too, Er." 

Slowly, the buildings of Seattle disappeared, and made way for miles upon miles of trees. Rain started falling gently, small droplets on Erin's windshield. Kelley would have turned on her windshield wipers at the first sight of rain, but Erin waited until they had grown harder and could be heard hitting the roof of the car before she switched them on. The two of them didn't talk much more on the car ride, but that was okay, Kelley figured. They would have plenty of time to reconnect.

* * *

Erin lived in an actual _house._ Like, one that she paid a mortgage on. It was a small one, maybe half the size of the one that Karen and her new husband were moving into. But still, it was a fucking house. Kelley still couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact that her sister, who was only twelve years older than her, had her life together like that. 

"Welcome," said Erin, helping Kelley lug her suitcase into the house and up the stairs, to the spare room which would be her room for the next few months. Karen had sent Erin money to buy Kelley a bed, a double, already made up with brand new sheets, light blue, with matching pillowcases. Kelley hadn't been able to bring any of her own comforters or blankets, but Erin, it seemed, had bought several. There was a small desk with a lamp, and a comfortable looking chair, and plenty of space on the wall for any photos or posters that Kelley might choose to put up. 

"Do you like it?"

Erin sounded... nervous, to Kelley, and the younger O'Hara sister turned around from planning where she was going to put up her giant posters and gave her older sister a huge hug.

"I love it, Er," she said. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me quite yet," said Erin. "You still haven't seen the bathroom."

Kelley laughed lightly, and followed Erin as she completed her tour of the O'Hara Sisters' Castle. And vetoed Kelley putting up a sign in front of the house saying exactly that. 

"Sorry, kid," she said. "My mortgage, my rules."

* * *

Kelley fell asleep to the sound of gentle rain hitting the roof of Erin's house. The bed smelled like new sheets, but the blankets were still absolutely fuzzy, and she snuggled further into them, missing the smell of her own house, but determined to get a good night's sleep. 

She tossed and turned for a little while, her brain wheels turning as she ran through scenarios of how tomorrow could go. 

New school, far away from the parties that had nearly knocked her off course. New people, not the ones who had left her passed out drunk and made her realize that she needed to stop, before she ended up dead. 

New life. New Kelley. 


	2. Chapter 2

Kelley was thankful that the next day was a Sunday- she needed a day to recover from not only the jetlag which came with a several hour time difference, but from the strangeness of being in a completely new place, where she knew nothing and no one. 

She had fallen asleep slowly, to the calming sound of rain tapping against her windows, and to the slightly too strong smell of new sheets. It had taken her some time to find a comfortable position, tossing and turning until she ended curled up on her side, cradling one of her pillows and drooling slightly as she drifted off to sleep. 

Back in Georgia, what woke her up on Sundays was usually the bright sun streaming through her windows, past the blinds to coat her bed in the rays of morning. But in Washington, there was no sun to be had, at least not often. So, Kelley woke to the sound of a light tap on her door, with a crick in her neck. She yawned, keeping the blankets wrapped around her shoulders as she sat up. 

Once she had rubbed the leftover sleep out of her eyes, Kelley looked over to the bedroom door to see Erin, still clad in her slippers and robe with her hair up in a messy bun, holding a spatula which appeared to be coated in grease. 

"You can go back to sleep if you want," said her sister, yawning herself. "But, I just wanted to let you know that I made pancakes. If you want any."

Kelley nodded, gasping in surprise as she hopped out of the bed and her feet hit the cold wooden floor. She had to dig through her suitcase to find a pair of fuzzy socks, because she hadn't unpacked last night, and when she had pulled them onto her feet, she followed Erin down towards the kitchen. 

It was January, and so it was rather cold- not cold enough for snow, surprisingly, but cold enough that the rain was icy and Kelley's Georgia skin couldn't handle the chill, but Erin's old house had a radiator which didn't reach all the way to the kitchen. Kelley had brought her blanket downstairs with her to stay warm while she ate, but there was no need. Erin had lit a small fire in the woodstove, and it warmed the room just as well as any heater would. It was comfortingly rustic, and Kelley watched it for a moment while Erin flipped the pancakes.

"Dig in," said Erin, plopping a fresh pancake down in front of Kelley and gesturing towards the syrup and powdered sugar in the center of the table. 

Well, who was Kelley to disobey such an order? 

By the time the sisters were done with breakfast, Kelley had eaten three pancakes and Erin two. They both leaned back in their chairs, satisfied, and sighed in contentment. 

Suddenly, Erin sat bolt upright in her chair, a look of panic filling her features.

"Fuck," she growled, hopping up and tossing her fork into the sink. "Is that really the time?"

Kelley looked over at the digital clock on the stove and raised her eyebrows, confused at her sister's behavior. It was only ten-thirty in the morning, she had no idea why Erin would be so worried about it being late. Well, it wasn't like she had much idea about anything that Erin did, anyway. If she was being completely honest, she barely knew her sister at all.

"What?" Kelley asked with an unconcerned yawn. "You good?"

Erin forced a smile onto her face quickly, taking a deep breath. 

"I'm fine," she said. "We just have guests coming over in fifteen minutes, and I think we should both be dressed."

Kelley shrugged, reaching for both her plate and Erin's to clear them.

"Okay," she said. "I don't take very long to get ready, so you can go upstairs and use the bathroom first."

Erin seemed like she was about to protest, then took another look at her watch and walked upstairs to get ready to greet whatever guests she had invited over. 

Kelley took her time rinsing the dishes, leaving them in the sink- she still wasn't sure if Erin wanted them hand washed or put in the dishwasher. She put the dish of syrup back in the fridge, and the powdered sugar back in the cupboard, and then made her way upstairs to get dressed. 

The bathroom door was still shut, and Kelley could hear the sound of water running- Erin was probably washing her face. Kelley returned to her room and unzipped her suitcase again, hunting for... well, anything. 

The first thing her hands happened to land on was a pair of high waisted leggings and a loose forest green tee. She clearly wasn't going to have time to do anything with her hair, and so she just ran a brush through it quickly and tucked her beanie on the top of her head. 

Erin came out of the bathroom, and Kelley had just finished brushing her teeth when she heard a mechanical racket in the driveway, which stopped suddenly and was followed by a knock on the front door.

"Kell," yelled Erin. "Come on down!"

Kelley came down the stairs to see Erin happily greeting an older woman in a wheelchair. The woman was giving her a bright smile, and placed a hand on top of her own.

"Hello, Erin" she said, and then looked up to see Kelley, lingering at the bottom of the stairs. 

"And you... You must be Kelley."

Erin jerked her head, gesturing for Kelley to come forwards and say hello. The woman had a firm, warm handshake, and her eyes crinkled as she gave the younger O'Hara sister the same bright smile she had given Erin. 

"Hello, dear," she said. "I'm Stacy Press. An old friend of your family's. Your mother asked me to keep an eye on this one when she moved up here."

Kelley laughed lightly, tossing a grin in Erin's direction.

"Does she want you to do the same for me?"

Stacy returned Kelley's laugh.

"Nah, she's got Erin for that. I just wanted to meet you. Plus, Erin has a surprise for you, and me and my girl are the delivery."

Kelley turned to look at her sister curiously as another woman came inside, shaking the rain out of her long, dark ponytail. 

"Everything's out of the car, Mama," she said. "It's all set to go."

"Say hello, Christen," said Stacy, taking her daughter's hand and moving her gaze between Christen and Kelley. "Be polite." 

The young woman shook the last of the water out of her hair and smiled, sticking out a hand for Kelley to shake. Her smile was almost identical to her mother's, and she had the same warm handshake. 

"Hi," said the girl, and when Kelley looked at her face, she realized that the girl was almost her age, maybe a year or two younger. "I'm Christen Press. Nice to meet you!" 

Kelley grinned back.

"It's nice to meet you too," she said, squeezing Christen's hand gently before letting go. "Now," she continued, turning to Erin. "Ms. Press said you had a surprise for me?"

Stacy laughed again, gesturing for Christen to push her wheelchair. 

"Straight to the point, aren't you? I like this one. Come on, O'Hara. Give your little sister her present." 

Erin grinned, covering Kelley's eyes and leading her out to the front porch. Kelley grumbled in annoyance as the rain dripped down on top of them, stepping carefully so that she didn't slip in a puddle. Her socks were soaked, and the freezing rain was on the way to numbing her feet. 

"So," she said. "What is it? Are you going to show me before I catch a cold and have to miss my first day of school?"

She could hear Stacy and Christen laughing as Erin uncovered her eyes. Kelley looked around, wondering where her present was. All she could see in the driveway which hadn't been there the last day was the Press family's truck. 

"Um," she said, turning to Erin and raising an eyebrow. "Not to sound like an ungrateful bitch, but... where is it?"

Erin joined the Press women in laughing, pointing towards the beat up old truck.

"It's right there, sis! I thought you'd rather not have me drive you to school in the cruiser. So, I heard that Stacy was selling her old truck, and I... I just bought it! Because, after all, Christen _can't drive yet."_

Erin raised her eyebrows at Stacy as Christen blushed, shrugging.

"Come on," the teenager defended herself. "I turn sixteen in literally a week!" 

Erin just rolled her eyes as Kelley squealed and raced down into the rain to run her hands over her new car, bouncing up and down on the balls of her freezing feet.

"Thank you, Erin," she yelled back at the porch, and her older sister smiled, beckoning her back inside.

"You're welcome, kid. Now, come back inside and dry off."

* * *

The Press women hung out with the O'Hara sisters for a couple of hours, during which time Kelley found out- to her disappointment- that Christen did not attend Forks High School. While Kelley wasn't shy, by any means, it still would have been nice to know one person, even if it was someone a grade younger than her. 

"Well," said Stacy as Christen and Erin hopped up, Christen to push her mother's wheelchair and Erin to grab her keys to drive the pair home. "Don't be a stranger, Kelley. I'm sure Christen would love to see you whenever you can."

 _"Mom,"_ growled Christen, a blush rising in her cheeks. "I... Um... I mean," she said, taking a deep breath and remembering how to speak through her embarrassment at her mother's meddling in her life. "I mean, sure! Feel free to stop by anytime, Kelley." 

Kelley grinned, giving the younger girl a hug.

"Sure! It was nice to meet you, Christen." 

And then, Kelley was alone in the house. She flopped down onto the couch, smiling out the window at the rain hitting her new-old truck and wondering how school was going to go the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

Kelley awoke on Monday morning to the sound of Erin, tapping on her door. Or, more accurately, the doorframe. As she stretched, rubbing her eyes and cracking her joints, she blinked and saw that her older sister was already dressed in her uniform, ready to leave for work.

"Sorry to wake you," said Erin, looking at her little sister, trying not to stare at Kelley's extensive bedhead. "But, I'm heading out. I just wanted to tell you good luck at school today, okay? Call me if you need anything."

Kelley nodded, yawning and reaching for a hair tie to pull her mane under control, at least for the moment. 

"Thanks, Er," she said, heaving herself out of bed and stepping into her slippers. "I'll be fine, promise. Have a good day at work!"

Erin stepped forwards and pulled Kelley into her arms. The younger girl hugged her back, and then Erin was heading down the stairs, yelling back up to remind Kelley to lock the door before she left. Then Kelley was alone. 

School didn't start until 8:30, and it was only just 7:15. Forks High was around a ten minute drive from Erin's house, and so she had an hour to get herself ready.

The first day of school had never been a big deal for Kelley- she'd never really had trouble making friends, but that was back in Georgia. That was before the _incident,_ back before she and her mom had both agreed that she needed to shape up. Now, she wasn't quite sure how it was going to go. 

Kelley took a quick shower, then stared at her suitcase, which she still hadn't finished unpacking. Her collection of clothes which were appropriate for winter in Washington was... rather limited, to say the least. Even if it was raining, rather than snowing, the weather was still far colder than anything she'd ever had in Georgia. 

She ended up in a thin blue sweater, covered by her denim jacket and offset by a small necklace. She regretted choosing leggings when she had to practically roll them up her legs, still damp from her shower, and tied up the cute pair of waterproof boots that her mother had bought for her before she left Georgia for Washington. Then, just barely remembering to lock the door behind her, she raced out into the rain and hopped into her new-old truck. She patted the dashboard- the thing was old, probably at least thirty years old but possibly older, and when she searched for a dock to connect her cell phone, there was none to be found. 

"Hey, buddy," she said, starting the engine. "Don't break down on me, okay?"

The truck roared to life, and Kelley shook her head, smiling to herself. There was no way she could hear music in here anyway. 

As she pulled out of Erin's driveway, she thought to herself, smiling wider, that she would have to think of a name for this machine. 

Thankfully, the truck got her safely to school. It was a beat up, rattling thing, but it was hers. Besides, if it had survived this long, it could certainly get her where she needed to go- albeit a bit slowly. 

Scanning the parking lot, her eyes locked on an available space, right at the edge, the furthest away from the main building as it was possible to be. The rain was tapping on her windshield, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance at having to walk through the downpour to get to... she had no idea. She knew that she had to find the main office, but she had no idea where that was. 

"Okay," she said to herself. "You can do this, Kell."

Her truck's door creaked open, and Kelley stepped out into the rain, dashing across the soaking parking lot and trying her best to avoid puddles but still getting backsplashes of water on her leggings. She grabbed the first door handle she saw and swung the door open, stepping inside and taking in her surroundings. She was dripping on the floor, and the top of her backpack was damp. It wasn't like she had much in it, anyway, except for the book she had been reading. 

There was a group of kids surrounding her, making no secret of the fact that they were staring curiously at her. They were all slightly damp as well, but they had parking spots closer to the school, so their clothes weren't as soaked as Kelley's. 

Craning her neck to try and look for any signs that would lead her to the main office, the bell rang, sending the students scampering off to their classes, and leaving Kelley alone in the hallway. She clenched her teeth and growled to herself. _Great start, Kell,_ she thought to herself. _First day of your new school, and you're already late. Perfect._

"Hey," came a chirpy voice. "You're new, right?"

Wringing out her hair, Kelley looked up to see a perky blonde girl with a ponytail similar to her own, a floral bag draped over her shoulder. She didn't seem to be in a particular hurry to get to class, and Kelley wondered why she was here if she had first period free. 

She nodded. 

"Yeah, I'm-"

"Kelley, right?"

Kelley raised her eyebrows, and the girl laughed lightly. 

"It's a small town, girl," she said. "My dad works with your sister. Welcome to Forks, Kelley O'Hara!" 

Kelley joined the girl in laughter, shoulders relaxing. The girl wrapped an arm around her shoulders, unconcerned about getting her own outfit wet, and started walking. Kelley followed after her.

"Um," she said. "Would you happen to know where the office is?" 

The girl grinned.

"Where did you think I was taking you, babe? It's right in there!"

Kelley smiled gratefully, opening the door and stepping inside. She immediately spotted the receptionist's desk and squished her way over to greet the woman.

"Um, hi," she said. "I'm Kelley."

"O'Hara, right? I've got everything right here." 

The woman opened a folder, spreading out a stack of papers and pointing to each of them individually. 

"Okay," she said. "I've got your schedule, a map of the school, and here's a student handbook with the code of conduct and general school rules. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to come back here!"

Kelley returned the woman's friendly smile, then put the student handbook in her damp backpack. She kept the schedule and map in her hands, looking down at them as she left the office. The map wasn't very well drawn, and she had no idea where on earth she was supposed to find Room... B11. English. 

"Hey," said a voice, and Kelley jumped, turning her head to see that the blonde girl was still outside the office, leaning against the lockers and scrolling through her cell phone. "What's your first class?" 

"English," said Kelley, and the girl smiled. 

"Mine too! C'mon, I'll take you!" 

Kelley trailed behind the girl as they turned several corners, and then there was room B11. She could hear a man talking through the door, and just managed to make out the words _King Lear._ Shakespeare, then. Kelley was no aficionado of the Bard, but that was one that she had read, back in sophomore year before she lost her focus. The blonde opened the door and skipped into the classroom, with Kelley following behind her, blushing as the entire class turned around to look at her. 

"Alexandra Long! Would you care to explain why you're ten minutes late... again?" 

Alexandra pointed to Kelley, theatrically spreading her arms and gesturing her new friend forwards. 

"C'mon Mr. A! I was helping the new girl! You can't get mad at me for that!"

Mr. A rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath that sounded like _yes,_ _I can,_ before taking a deep breath.

"You get away with it this time, Miss Long, but once more and that's detention!"

Alexandra nodded cheerfully, sliding into an empty seat and gesturing for Kelley to join her. Kelley did, nodding at her new teacher, who greeted her quietly and handed her a copy of the play. 

"Welcome, Miss O'Hara," he said. "Now, if everyone will turn to Act II, Sc. III..." 

Class went by quickly, and when the bell rang, Kelley quickly found herself surrounded by a crowd of people, all wanting to get their chance to talk to the new girl. She said goodbye to Alexandra- who insisted that Kelley call her Allie, the only ones who ever called her Alexandra were her parents or teachers, when they were angry with her- and found herself in the company of a far more softspoken girl than Allie had been, who introduced herself as Andi. 

Andi was only a sophomore, but she was taking junior-level precalculus, putting her in Kelley's next class. 

All the classes went by in a sort of blur, with many people staring at her and a different person walking her to each one. Some kept staring at her for longer than others, to the point where Kelley wanted to hide behind her book. She had never been a shy person, not by a long shot, but wherever she went, it seemed like everything and everyone stopped what they were doing just to stare at her. 

By the time she joined Allie and her group of friends at a lunch table in the center of the cafeteria, all Kelley could do was blink stupidly, almost overwhelmed by everything going on around her. But, there was still more to come. 

She had met some of the people at the table by now- Amandine, an extremely friendly girl who seemed to have made it her mission to help Kelley find everything she might need; Andi; an outgoing boy called Kyle; and Allie herself, but there were still plenty of new faces to meet. She recognized some of them from the hallways, and they certainly recognized her. 

"Okay," said Allie as she slammed her plastic fork onto the table in an attempt to quiet her friends. "Y'all, this is Kelley. Introduce yourself. Around the table, go!" 

The first to introduce herself was a girl named Ann, who hadn't taken her eyes off of Kelley since she sat down, followed by a fellow junior called Ashlyn, whose arms were filled with tattoos that Kelley couldn't help but guess were either illegal or the result of an amazing fake ID, and Ashlyn's girlfriend Ali, who doubled as Kyle's little sister. 

It wasn't too many more people, but Kelley still needed a deep breath. So, as they resumed their own conversations, she scanned the rest of the cafeteria, before her eyes caught on a table in the corner of the cafeteria. At it, there were sat five of the most beautiful people she had ever seen.

Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol i got inspired

She knew she was staring, and that it was weird, but she couldn't help herself. The five girls at the table were undoubtedly stunning, from the tall blonde at the end who looked like she could knock someone to the floor with a single punch, or whip her ponytail around and achieve about the same result, all the way to the dark-haired girl at the end, sitting slightly separate from the others, shining mane pulled back with a thin pink headband, who looked like she couldn't be more bored by everything around her. They all seemed not to notice anything going on around them, and Kelley wondered, honestly, why she was the only one staring. It was impossible to tell who was the most beautiful, but Kelley eventually settled on either the one in the middle with the chestnut waves cascading over her shoulders as she picked absently at her pepperoni pizza, or the dark-haired girl, who had taken out her fancy phone and was scrolling through absently as she listened to whatever her companions had to say.

Then, as if she could sense Kelley's gaze locked on her, the dark-haired girl looked up, away from her phone and straight towards her, revealing some of the darkest eyes that Kelley had ever seen, piercing right through her body and making her turn away quickly, blushing.

"Um," she said quietly, trying to will the blush away and poking Allie's arm. The other girl looked up from her slice of substandard square pizza, which was already half gone, raising an eyebrow and widening her eyes as she chewed to show Kelley that she was paying attention. "Not to sound like Cady Heron, but who are they?"

Kelley inclined her head towards the table in the corner, where the five gorgeous people sat, ignoring everyone except each other, speaking too low for anyone except each other to hear. Allie's gaze followed her tilt and then, to Kelley's surprise and embarrassment, she burst out laughing, choking on her pizza and catching the attention of everyone else at their table, all of whom paused their conversations to see what on earth could be so funny in a high school cafeteria to make Allie Long abandon her food.

"Aww," said Ashlyn with a laugh, giving Kelley a smile as she followed her gaze. "Looks like the new girl's discovered the forbidden table!" 

Kelley looked back and forth between her companions, noting the similar expressions of mirth on everyone else's faces- clearly, there was some joke that she wasn't getting.

"Oh, stop laughing," said Ali, not quite able to wipe her own amused smirk off her face as she kissed Ashlyn's cheek and came around to sit beside Kelley, inserting herself in between the girl and Allie, who scoffed indignantly and reached across the table to steal one of Ali's breadsticks. Ali leaned conspiratorially close to Kelley, and despite the fact that they all knew what she was going to say, the rest of the table leaned in to listen as well. This was clearly prime gossip.

"We don't get new faces around here. Like, ever," said Ali. "That's why they were laughing- it's just impossible to imagine someone not knowing. God, not to sound like Janis Ian, but how should I even explain the Johnstons?"

She shook her head, more to herself than anyone else as she tried to think about what to say, or maybe hoping that someone else would take over, save her from being labeled the gossip should someone overhear their conversation. 

"Well," she continued after no one jumped in. "That's the Johnston family. The taller ones who look like they could beat the shit out of you are Alyssa and Lindsey, then next to Alyssa there's Morgan, then Emily's the small one right there, and that hottie at the end is Alex."

Ali shot a quick glance over at Alex, eyebrows raised appreciatively, then blushed as the rest of the table looked at her. Her smile returned when Ashlyn gave her a grin, clearly not offended in the slightest.

"They're all foster kids," said Kyle, just as Ali opened her mouth to continue and earning a glare from his sister. "They're supposed to live in this big mansion down one of the private drives just outside of the main town. No one in the entire fucking school has ever been there, though, so we don't know! Their mom is a doctor down at the hospital, and she and her wife took them in a few years ago. But, you wanna know what's weird?"

"What?"

Even as she listened to the group explain the Johnston kids, Kelley couldn't stop herself from flicking her eyes back towards their table, eyes drawn back again and again to the beautiful brunette who she now knew to be Alex. The girl wasn't looking back at her anymore, and was instead speaking quietly to Emily as the others listened. As the conversation continued, Morgan and Alyssa got up and, with every morsel of food still on their trays, headed towards the exit.

"They're like, _together._ Like, going out! Well, Alyssa and Morgan, and Emily and Lindsey. And they live together!"

Kyle reached across the table to smack Ashlyn as she muttered something about wishing she lived with Ali, and what they'd do if they shared a room.

"That's still my sister, Harris! Christ. Anyway, yeah. I'm gay, but even I'll admit that they're hot. And Alex Johnston is the secret fantasy of every gay girl and straight guy in this place, I'll guarantee you. Even if they deny it. Don't even think about it," he said to Ashlyn as she prepared to make a lewd remark. 

"Either way," said Ali, glaring between her brother and girlfriend before rolling her eyes in exasperation. "They don't talk to anyone, except during class when they have to. They keep to themselves."

The conversation was over after that, the topic turning back to Kelley, where she was from, what she liked to do, what had brought her to Forks. Kelley answered their questions (Georgia, play soccer and read, ooh! Ali, I love your nails!), but half of her attention remained on Alex Johnston who, it seemed, was looking everywhere but at her, all while talking tensely with Lindsey and Emily.

When the bell rang to signal that lunch was over, Alex Johnston all but sprinted out of the cafeteria, throwing her uneaten tray into the garbage as she went. 

* * *

Ann, who had barely spoken a word to Kelley the entire lunch period, insisted on walking her to her next class, which happened to be Biology. After the brief safe haven of lunch, where the faces had quickly become familiar and the mundane conversation (relatively) comfortable, the biology classroom was a whole new ball game, where Kelley was once again the New Girl. She recognized some of the faces from her earlier classes, but she hadn't spoken to any of them, except for Ann, who took her own seat at the front of the classroom without taking her eyes off Kelley. She introduced herself to the teacher, Mr. Parsons, and was directed towards the only empty seat in the classroom.

Which, she noted with a pounding heart as she walked down the aisles of desks towards one of the lab tables, was right beside Alex Johnston. She set her bag down beside the four-legged stool, hyper-aware of Alex Johnston's presence beside her. Just her luck, wasn't it? First day at a new school, trying to turn a new leaf, and she got seated next to the hottest girl she had ever laid eyes on. 

The last time that had happened... Well, she didn't really want to think about it.

"Hello," she said, trying to keep her voice confident but unable to forget Ali's words of warning and ending up sounding more like a squirrel that had swallowed a squeaky toy. "I'm Kelley."

Alex didn't respond, only clutched her pencil so tightly in her hand that Kelley swore she could make out marks where the wood was cracking. She stared directly towards the front of the classroom, where Mr. Parsons was beginning his lecture, and didn't so much as nod hello. On her face was an expression that made Kelley want to shake a bit in her new rain boots. 

She didn't know how, she didn't know why, but Alex Johnston clearly detested her. 

The entire class, Kelley snuck looks at Alex out of the corner of her eye, but the girl's expression didn't change once. When class ended, the girl was out of her seat before the bell had even finished ringing, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and racing out of the room. Kelley, slightly shellshocked and confused as to why on Earth this girl she'd never met hated her already, looked at Ann with wide eyes, and the other girl shrugged, picking up her own backpack and navigating through the desks to Kelley.

"Is that... normal for her?"

Ann shrugged again as she and Kelley filed out, each grabbing a homework sheet from Mr. Parsons' desk. 

"I don't really know, honestly," she said. "Did you say something to her or something? I mean, she's always been a bit of a grumpy bitch, but I've never seen her act like that. At least she didn't when I was her lab partner. But fuck her. She's not worth it."

Ann patted her shoulder gently, and the touch made Kelley feel a little bit better, at least to the point where she was able to smile and laugh when Allie linked arms with her as she and Ann walked Kelley back towards the parking lot. But her mind kept wandering back to Alex Johnston, especially when she spotted her dark hair and pink headband, storming out of the office and pushing through the crowd towards the parking lot. 

Ann and Allie headed for their own cars, closer to the school than Kelley's, and, bidding her new friends farewell, Kelley gingerly stepped around the rain puddles as she walked towards her truck. Alex's siblings were all piling into the nicest car in the lot, a shiny silver Volvo with four doors. There were only five, just enough for all the siblings- two in the front and three in the back. Morgan was at the wheel, not a hair out of place as she started the engine, Alex in the front seat with her fists clenched. Alyssa was in the backseat on the passenger side, talking softly to Alex with a hand on her shoulder, with Emily in the middle seat and Lindsey's arm wrapped around her. 

They pulled out of the lot, Kelley following them with her eyes until the car drove out of sight.

* * *

Erin wasn't home when Kelley's truck sputtered into the driveway, and the younger O'Hara sister didn't quite know what to do with herself. She supposed that she should start her homework, but as she sat down at the IKEA desk which graced the east wall of her bedroom, she just couldn't manage to force herself to focus on analyzing instances of dramatic irony in King Lear. Her pencil traveled across the page anyway, doodling randomly on the very first page of her new notebook. She didn't know why, since clearly the girl _hated_ her, but she couldn't get Alex Johnston off her mind. 

Thankfully, a distraction came in the form of a buzz on her phone- Allie, texting to ask how the rest of her first day went. By the time Erin's cruiser pulled into the driveway, Kelley had already learned that there was a dance coming up, and that several people (though Allie wouldn't say who) were _dying_ to ask her. 

"Kell? What are you feeling like for dinner?"

She could hear the sounds of Erin taking off her gear and hanging it up, making sure that everything was stowed properly now that she had her teenage sister living with her. Telling Allie that she'd text her later, Kelley plodded downstairs in her fuzzy socks, opening the fridge to peruse her options. 

Erin was flexible, so they ended up ordering pizza to celebrate Kelley's first day at her new school, chowing down on the cheesy slices while watching the newest episode of _The Bachelorette._ Erin didn't press her for details, but was glad to hear that Kelley seemed to be making friends quickly. 

"Um," said Kelley, after debating with herself for several minutes about if she should ask or not, but figuring that she couldn't very well ask Allie without it seeming like she was Cady Heron obsessed with Regina George. "What do you know about... About the Johnston kids?"

Erin muted the TV, pulling her feet up onto the couch and turning to face her sister. 

"Well, I don't know the kids," she said. "Just Dr. Johnston. She works at Forks General, and she's one of the best doctors there. This town is lucky to have someone like her. And, really, the fact that I _don't_ know those kids tells me quite a lot- never even pulled one of them over for speeding, and they probably have the only cars in this town that go over 70! Good kids, as far as I'm concerned. People in this town," she muttered angrily. "Just looking for something to gossip about." 

Erin got up to grab another slice of pizza, leaving Kelley just as puzzled as she had been before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if anyone else's science teachers had people sit at lab tables, but I remember that my back always hurt when that was my assigned seat.
> 
> Also if you're reading Classified, it feels soooooooo weird to put Alyssa with anyone who isn't Becky, but the plot n stuff said nah. Eek! Don't be mad at me!

**Author's Note:**

> YES, I started a new fic when I still have like two that I'm working on. LOL, great ideas.


End file.
